Cursed Productions | An Article By Natalia Zuffery
Cursed Productions
An Article By Natalia Zuffery
Throughout the decades a number of film productions have seen their fair share of tragedies both onscreen and off. Some however have been deemed cursed due to a disproportionate amount of accidents and even deaths. Of these, productions in the horror genre are more likely doomed to be cursed. Beginning with the creation of the world’s most cursed play, Macbeth, which set the stage for cursed productions to come, I will explore the dark events behind five of the most cursed horror films (The Crow, Poltergeist, The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Exorcist). What set these curses in motion? Are these films truly cursed, or is this our way of rationalizing tragedy?
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a play that carries over 400 years of superstition. It is possibly one of the most feared plays with many thespians choosing to refer to it as “The Scottish Play” out of fear for the safety and success of their current production. Written around 1606, Shakespeare was inspired by Britain’s King James, known for enacting witch trial at the time. It is said that the famous play-write borrowed Black Magic rituals and spells for scenes with witches. According to this legend, the play was then cursed by witches who despised Shakespeare for ridiculing their faith. So began the curse that follows this play to this day. The first staging of “The Scottish Play” saw the onstage death of the actress portraying Lady Macbeth. Other infamous incidents include actor Charlton Heston’s tights catching fire while he portrayed Macbeth in 1953, and the disastrous 1937 production of the play which involved actor Laurence Olivier nearly being killed by a falling set piece, the death of the of the play house’s owner on the night of dress rehearsal, and the injury and death of an audience member due to a sword breaking and flying into the audience. The superstition behind Macbeth is one of mythical proportion and for good reason with so many tragedies and accidents revolving around the play. Is Macbeth truly damned by a centuries old witch’s curse or is the fear of tragedy what drives this production to remain one of history’s most feared plays? What is certain is that the fear of insulting the devil and witches remains part of modern culture and influences our perspectives on tragic events that have occurred in many of the most famous horror films.
While The Crow may not have a rumored curse set on it by the devil or his followers, it remains haunted with the specter of death present in some of its most iconic moments. The film is based on a comic written by James O’Barr as a way to cope with severe depression after the death of his fiancée due to a drunk driver. The comic is filled with dark imagery and sorrow and sees its protagonist, Eric Draven, resurrected from death to avenge his girlfriend who was brutally murdered. The producers of the film adaptation wanted to recreate the darkness and grit of O’Barr’s comic and chose to cast rising star Brandon Lee, son of famous martial arts icon Bruce Lee, as Draven. With such heavy subject matter that was close to home for its author, this production was bound to see problems. Starting on the first day of filming, a crew member was electrocuted. The set was hit by a blizzard that caused destruction and complications. Yet the most shocking event to occur was the on-screen death of Brandon Lee. In a scene where Draven is shot, a gun that was improperly prepared fired, shooting Lee in the stomach. Crew members were so convinced of Lee’s acting that he was not tended to immediately, resulting in his death at a hospital due to blood loss. One of the most popular rumors to follow this film is that the Lee’s were cursed by a Chinese mafia group called the Triad, with Bruce dying suddenly at 32 and Brandon at 28. Perhaps this rumor comes from fans desire for answers. How could an accident like this occur on a film with professional gun handlers and to a young and loved star? Unfortunately, The Crow is not the first film in the horror genre to see the death of their young stars, thus resulting in receiving a cursed status.
What caused the curse on the popular 80’s horror trilogy Poltergeist is constantly debated, with most pinning it to the rumored use of real human skeletons in the first film. Numerous hauntings occurred whilst filming resulting in the summoning of exorcist to the set of Poltergeist II. Though nothing would be more traumatic to the film’s cast and crew that the death of two of their young female stars. Dominique Dunne who played Dana was murdered by her ex-boyfriend after production of the first film ended. In addition, the film lost 12-year-old Heather O’Rourke, who played Carol Anne, four months before the release of Poltergeist III due to complication from Crohn’s Disease that had gone undiagnosed. Many believe that the spirits of the skeletons haunted the film, and with Dunne having been involved in a scene with them, her tragic fate was sealed. Though spirits and witches are commonly blamed for curses arising, no figure in history has received more credit for his wrath than the devil.
What is commonly believed to be the first popular horror film to be labeled with the mark of the beast is The Omen. The subject matter alone, the rise of the young Antichrist, caused religious and superstitious individuals to warn against the production of this film before it began. Not heading warnings, the film crew moved forward with production, with a slew of accidents to follow. At the start of production, a plane that was carrying crew members crashed resulting in deaths. The film’s star Gregory Peck avoided a fatal plane crash himself around the time of filming. The spookiest of accidents happened to the film’s special effects lead, John Richardson. In a gruesome scene a character is decapitated, which shockingly happened to Richardson soon after the scene was shot. With many tragedies and some near misses haunting The Omen, people still believe to this day that taunting the devil via film is a risky move, and one that director Roman Polanski would learn first-hand.
In 1968 Roman Polanski directed one of the earliest popular film depictions of the birth of the Antichrist in Rosemary’s Baby. A masterpiece of psychological horror, the film’s protagonist Rosemary is manipulated by a religious cult, intent on enacting the rise of the Antichrist. The film features unsettling sequences of ritual practice leading into Rosemary’s decent into madness and her eventual realization that her beloved child is a monster. The backdrop of this film makes the tragedy that would later occur for Polanski even more disturbing. Polanski at the time the of the film’s release was married to actress Sharon Tate and was expecting a son. In August of 1969, Tate was found murdered along with her unborn child by members of the infamous cult the Manson Family. It is truly eerie for this to follow the production of a film centered around a Satanic cult. Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen would certainly not be the last films to reportedly receive the devils curse. There is one film that follows these that to this day is said to be the scariest and most cursed film: The Exorcist.
Like other films afore mentioned, The Exorcist was not only reportedly cursed due to its depictions of demonic entities, it also saw its fair share of accident and lasting tragedies. This legendary film about a young girl, Regan, who plays with a spirit board resulting in her possession by a demon was riddled with onscreen accidents. One of the notable incidents involved a fire that ravaged the film set and left on Regan’s room unscathed. Linda Blair, who starred as Regan, suffered back injuries from a malfunctioning device used in a scene. Blair was even given a bodyguard postproduction due to threats made on her by hysteric audience members. Some think it was the use of a spirit board that doomed this film. Others say it was simply the demonic subject matter. The marketing team for the film decided to roll with the idea that the film was haunted and drove audiences into theaters with reports of people fainting and becoming ill at screenings. Thus, heightening the hysteria and superstition. The Exorcist would go down in history as one of the highest grossing and most feared horror films. The question remains, was this due to a curse, or successful marketing?
Why is it that more horror films are believed to be cursed than any other genre? Perhaps it lies in the dark content portrayed on screen: witches, demons, spirits, curses. It is part of human nature to have the insatiable desire to rationalize what we do not understand. The supernatural causes us to question our rational beliefs. When an unspeakable tragedy occurs, it is often easier to believe it was the result of a curse than the hard truth that tragedies are unavoidable. I believe we find comfort in thinking curses exist. So long as tragedies occur, humanity will continue to find solace in curses as a means of rationalizing the darkest events that haunt our everyday lives.
References:
Cursed Films. Direct by Jay Cheel, series streaming on Shudder, 2020
Poltergeist. Directed by Tobe Hooper, performances by JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, and Heather O’Rourke, MGM/UA Entertainment, 1982
Rosemary’s Baby. Directed by Roman Polanski, performances by Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Ruth Gordon, William Castle Enterprise, 1968.
The Crow. Directed by Alex Proyas, performances by Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, and Rochelle Davis, Dimension Films, 1994.
The Exorcist. Directed by Williams Friedkin, performances by Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, and Linda Blair, Hoya Productions, 1973.
The Omen. Directed by Richard Donner, performances by Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, and David Warner, Mace Nuefeld Productions, 1976.
“Macbeth Curse”. YouTube. May 28th, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3TtkyjQjgQ